The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Monday launched a scathing attack on political leaders, accusing them of “instrumentally killing” Nigeria’s education sector while armed groups continue to terrorise schools across the country.
ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, who spoke in Abuja at the 2025 Harmattan School, said the nation’s learning environment was under dual assault — from bandits and from policymakers whose actions he described as “deliberate sabotage”.
“Education is under attack. There are bandits in the bush, and there are bandits in government houses and city centres,” Piwuna told journalists.
“While the bandits kill instantly, our leaders are killing education gradually and deliberately. Our commitment to defend education in Nigeria is unshakable.”
His comments come as school abductions and classroom closures escalate in several states, heightening fears among parents, teachers and students.
Piwuna confirmed that ASUU has entered fresh two-day negotiations with the Federal Government to resolve outstanding disputes, warning that the outcome of the meeting would determine whether the union resumes its suspended strike.
He criticised past government claims that it had met “all” of ASUU’s demands, saying the narrative has now shifted because unresolved issues — especially the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement — remain central to the union’s agitation.
“We’ve always frowned at statements claiming all our demands have been met,” he said. “The language has changed to ‘almost all’, which is more truthful. But the core issue remains the 2009 agreement, and that is why we’re meeting today.”
Dispelling widespread reports of an imminent strike action, the ASUU President clarified that no date had been fixed for industrial action.
“There is no branch or zone that declared a strike for Friday,” Piwuna said. “People only referred to the expiration of our ultimatum. If this meeting had failed to hold last week, the situation would have been different.”
He said the union would brief its members over the weekend after assessing the outcome of the ongoing talks.
“If the meeting fails, we will report back to our members, and they will tell us the next line of action. Whatever they decide, we will implement. Our struggle for quality education in Nigeria continues.”
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